Abstract: At approximately 2:20 p.m. on November 15, 1985, Employee #1 and a coworker were laying pipe in a 60 ft long trench that was 8 to 23 ft deep, and varied in width from 3 to 4 ft at the bottom to 10 to 12 ft at the top. Both employees were in the trench when the side wall caved in, trapping Employee #1. He died of asphyxia due to chest compression. The trench had no shoring and the side walls had not been cut to the required angle of repose. A steel trench box was on the job site, but it was not being used. The soil was a dry, loose, fine gravel and fine sand with mica and decomposing rock. Two coworkers were outside the trench at the time of the accident. One was handing down pipe and hand tools and the other was operating the backhoe. The employees interviewed were not knowledgeable about the company's safety and health policies and rules, nor were they involved in the company's safety meetings.